THOUGHTLESS fly-tippers dismantled a CCTV camera before blocking a country lane with a huge pile of rubble and rubbish.
Penn Lane, off the A5 near Wibtoft, was closed for five hours on Tuesday (March 28) after it was blocked off with a mixture of household and industrial waste.
Officers from Rugby Borough Council’s (RBC) environmental protection team visited the scene shortly after 8am that day and launched an investigation to trace the owner of the rubbish.
A CCTV camera in Penn Lane was dismantled before the incident, leading officers to believe it was the work of experienced, ‘commercial’ fly-tippers.
The rubbish was removed by a council team shortly before 1pm, when Penn Lane re-opened to traffic.
The fly-tip came just a week after the council joined the new national #CrimeNotToCare campaign, co-ordinated by Keep Britain Tidy.
RBC environment and public realm spokeswoman Coun Lisa Parker said: “This incident illustrates the harsh reality of the nationwide fly-tipping epidemic which prompted Keep Britain Tidy to launch #CrimeNotToCare.
“Paying a ‘man with a van’ or business cash-in-hand to remove rubbish can appear a cheap and easy solution, but it comes at a considerable cost to the environment, the taxpayer and the waste disposal companies who follow the letter of the law.
“You may pay for waste to be removed in good faith and be told it will be disposed of legally, but your rubbish remains your responsibility and ignorance is no defence in the eyes of the law.
“It’s quick and easy to check whether the person you pay to take away your rubbish has the correct Waste Carrier Licence, and if you fail in your duty of care you face a fine and a criminal record.”
In 2016 fly-tipping cost the borough’s taxpayers nearly £57,000 in clean-up costs.
Residents can check the Environment Agency’s register of Waste Carrier Licence holders by calling 0370 8506 506.
Visit www.rugby.gov.uk/flytipping for more information.
Anyone with information about the incident in Wibtoft can contact the environmental protection team at [email protected] or on (01788) 533857.
